Day 6 - Vitality and Breath of Fire - shower anyone?

So, I ended up getting out of bed at 4.40am to be able to complete 'Vitality' and get to my first client on time.  Typing this now at 9pm, this morning has a surreal element to it - it seems a lifetime ago.  I'm beginning to wonder if I actually did it or whether it was all a dream!

I quite enjoyed this DVD.  There several active components but slower sections too so it had a good mix.  I really sweated though for some reason!  There's a lot of 'Breath of Fire' in this one.  In case you don't know what that is, you basically 'pant' but through your nose.  There's much hilarity surrounding the subject on facebook - either we're all just a particularly snotty bunch or Breath of Fire just stimulates that level of nasal clearance in everyone.  Whatever it is, do not stand in front of someone doing Breath of Fire, just in case.  It's pretty noisy too - on the second round Bo the cat walked in from the bedroom and stood staring at me from the doorway as if to say, "What the hell is going on in here?  I am TRYING to SLEEP!"

Anyway, some thoughts.  I was remembering today a Pilates convention that I attended some years ago.  It was one of those events that incorporated three whole day's worth of seminars and workshops on different mind/body techniques.  One of the seminars I chose was about Ayurveda yoga and I recall the teacher's advice: "Whatever your practice is, whether it's yoga or some other movement form, you need to stick to it vigilantly and practise every day, even if it means getting up at 4.30 in the morning".  I remember being horrified at her suggestion - what was she thinking, 4.30 in the morning?!  The woman was obviously crazy!

Yet, here I am gettting up earlier each day to make sure I fit my practice in, without fail.  And what's more, it's not a chore but my favourite part of the day.  The Ayurveda teacher was absolutely right; we live in an increasingly chaotic world where so many things are out of our hands that we can feel quite vulnerable but comitting to a practice every day can give us a sense of empowerment and order in our lives.  My yoga mat is becoming my safe haven, my constant, my energy source in a way.  A while ago I considered running every day but I've finally recognized what my body needs; I enjoy pushing my cardiovascular limits but my body needs a balance to this.  I've ignored it for too long.

I'm amazed that I'm only on Day 6 and am already feeling such a physical release in my body.  It's slowly beginning to influence my mind too.  Sometimes what we resist is what we require the most. 

I have to be up at 5am tomorrow just to get to a client tomorrow, so I won't be surfacing at 3.30am to do yoga - I have to draw the line somewhere!  I plan to do 'Mountain Pose' when I get home at 9am though and can't wait!